DILEmma

Fiona pulled her hand away and walked ahead,not looking Damel's way.

For a moment Damel stood staring at her hand trying to take in what she had just seen.The Empress she had just held,her hand was cold like that of a corpse and she had been present at the empress funeral.Who had they buried and who was Infront of her, could it be a living corpse?but there was no such thing or was she dreaming?

She felt shivers run down her spine as she watched,fighting the impulse to take off

"You...your majesty...you are nu_not yourself"Damel said standing in front of her now her arms spread out.

Fiona had stopped her gaze fixed ahead as though no one stood in front of her,her hair was packed in it's usual fashion over the same clothes she had been buried with.

"But your majesty you are dead,I saw you buried,this can't be you"Damel asked deshelvedly, beyond shocked to see the empress in front of her and walking, expecting herself to wake up from the nightmare.

Fiona wordlessly moved around her and kept walking.

"Damel you are dreaming,wake up!this can't be the empress"She said hitting her face severally in attempt to wake herself up convincing herself she was dreaming,she had never seen a corpse walking before.

She looked ahead and still saw the empress now further in front of her.

Damel let out a loud shriek and walked towards the empress again.

This time she heard someone call her name,a voice she thought was from her head.

"Damel!is this what you call a moment?"the voice came again.

Damel gripped Fiona's hand again then turned to see jumittisa,a co-maid that had been with her in the kitchen emerge from a bend at the hallway

"Ju...jumittisa the... her majesty is...her majesty is_"she stammered not knowing how to put the next words,not knowing how to convince herself that she might as well be holding a living corpse's hand,a living corpse?no she must be going crazy,but her hand is beyond cold and she neither looked conscious.

Jumittisa's gaze shifted from Damel to the empress's.From where she stood,she could only see Fiona's side view but from her perfect features and the face she saw she immediately recognized her.

The maid stared startled unsure of what she was seeing,her mind debating whether or not to go closer for a closer look or run the other way.

"Her...majesty is Ali_"Damel wanted to say when her whole body went limp.

Jumittisa watched as an arrow struck her head from behind,it's sharp tip with a part of it emerging through her mouth.A loud scream escaped lomittisa's lips as she watched in terror, dreading the sight,her whole body vibrating.

After recovering from the moment, lomittisa ran the other way.

Fiona now freed from Damel's grip walked on,her whole body tossing from side to side as she walked in the direction her mind and body was commanded.

"I didn't send you to do my job"Dark said from the dark corner he controlled Fiona from,his eyes and body glowing with a purple light.

"They just saw the dead empress walking,we can't let them live"The knight behind him said pulling out an arrow from the lot behind his back"A little thank you would do".

"You should be grateful am helping you with this"Dark grunted trying to concentrate.

"I am most grateful sorceror...what would I ever do without you".The knight said with a broad smirk on his lips,fully aware of the reason for Dark's Ill mood."You were tricked by a mere palace maid you should get over it Sorceror,what's done is done".

"You are distracting me"Dark snapped.

"The other one I can't let her live".the knight said looking ahead

"I never said you should"

The knight vanished to appear at by a wall.He peered from it's end as he watched the maid explain all what she had seen to the emperor's knight,Gerald.

By god!of all people!he thought, thankfully his scent was masked with fripju lily,the knight would have recognized his scent instantly any time.

She was telling someone he couldn't hurt, someone he would never harm even if he was forced to.

He peered down at the arrow he held ready on a bow unsure if he could use it.He had to think of something,this maid had just only become a more difficult prey.

Gerald listened patiently to her explanation,he knew gerald as a knight who believed everything had a reason,who believed anything was possible hence he knew he would go check it out.

The knight searched his head for a way,a solution as one wrong move could ruin everything.

He watched as Gerald turned in the direction the maid had came from after ordering her to leave then an idea popped up in his head .

The maid nodded and walked in his direction,then took the bend opposite him,not looking his way

He aimed for her head and let his arrow loose.

The arrow flew swiftly in the air and hit it's target.She fell down,dead.

Gerald stopped and turned his way,he must have heard the sound of the arrow in the air.

"Who's there!"he called out,when no response came he began walking in the direction of the sound.

The knight quickly appeared where lomittisa lay,touched her and vanished with her.

When Gerald arrived at the spot he saw no one but only spotted few blood stains.

He looked ahead and saw the maid was gone,the hallway exit was further ahead,there was no way she could have made it to the other exit so quickly,and a maid could never have the magic to teleport,unless...she had been ambushed and her attacker had teleported along with her.He couldn't even smell them, there was nothing he could do.

He sniffed around for the faint smell of blood but could find none then he turned towards the opposite direction.

The knight reappeared after hiding jumittisa, hiding by a wall, peering at Gerald as he approached Dark's location,he had to protect him,dark would never let him go if he sees the empress walking corpse,he had to give him time to get it out of the second gate.

Gerald,always such a moron.

"Gerald please I need your help"he said via telepathy,he knew the emperor's knight too well,he could never ignore a call for help most especially his.

"Am in the middle of something,don't you have a better time to call me?"

"Come on its urgent"

"Fine"Gerald said "Where are you?"

"At the palace garden". said the knight and he disappeared.

Gerald sighed and went to check it out he reappeared at the location he was directed to not to find what he was expecting.

The knight had wasted his time and was just teasing him.

When he went back to the hallway,searched around but found nothing suspicious,he decided to check Fiona's grave but he would wait till the day looses all it's light completely,it was a risk he knew,desecreting the grave of a Royal family was a crime he knew he could not escape being punished for what more the Empress's if but it was a risk he must take and he couldn't wait for Tyran's return.

He had to see the Empress's corpse to confirm the maid servant's word.